Braal Castle is an early 14th century two storey tower house located to the rear of the mansion of the same name of the banks of the RiverThurso. The castle was built over an earlier Norse stronghold held by Harold II of Orkney, Mormaer of Caithness.

Here you can park and take the short walk to the ruins. There is no access to the interior of the castle as the masonry is in poor condition. The castle was once surrounded by a wet moat long since filled in with the building of the adjacent mansion and gardens. The walls are up to ten feet thick with access to the first floor doorway by a retractable wooden staircase. The tower was used to hold prisoners in its trap door dungeon

The castellated mansion was later used by the army during World War II, then afterwards as a school before being converted into flats as you see it today. 

~ History ~

1375 ~ King Hakon VI of Norway grants the Earldom of Orkney, for a single year to Alexander de Ard, as Governor for the King. Later in the same year amid disputes over the Earldom , Alexander resigns Braal Castle, its associated lands and his hereditary rights in Caithness to the Scottish Crown. KIng Robert II of Scotland grants it to his second son, David Stewart, in order to strengthen Scottish control over Caithness.  

1452 ~ King James II grants the castle to Admiral Sir George Crichton.

1457 ~ The castle passes to the Sinclairs.

1620's ~ The Sinclairs abandon the castle in favour of building a new mansion next to the old tower house.

1856 ~ Construction on the unfinished mansion begins upwards from the vaulted cellar's.